“How do I merge/split a PDF file?”
This is one of the most common questions we encounter and likely the very question that led you here.
If you often receive files that contain more pages than you require, or end up with numerous individual files that take up too much time to handle one at a time, you’re not alone.
While you can copy the data from the pages and paste it into a new Word document that you then export into a newly modified PDF, it’s a flawed method. Not only is it time-consuming—it can result in a lot of that data being improperly reproduced. This is a frequent problem when the PDF file contains embedded text and your characters aren’t recognized by your word processor. Sometimes, your copy/pasted data looks like this:
Fortunately, we have a solution for both scenarios! In the sections below, we show you how to use Merge PDF and Split PDF to quickly compress or divide your existing files.
Both of these programs were created with one thought in mind: “How can we make our customer’s task simpler?”
Of course, our PDF2XL program has already made great strides in reducing hours of manual data entry, but when we were faced with the ongoing problem of merging and splitting PDF files, we knew we had to take charge of the situation.
The main focus for developing Merge PDF and Split PDF was that they should be simple to use without a major learning curve. That means you can install it and complete your task within minutes. Considering the PDF file is the most widely used format for document sharing, it’s no wonder we’ve had to develop ways to better deal with their limitations.
Merge PDF
Merge several individual PDF files into one file. Here’s how:
Single File Method
You may have several files scattered in different folders on your computer. For whatever reason, these files might have to stay where they are, so you don’t have the convenience of placing them all into a single folder. We’ve seen this issue often with large companies who have a very specific filing system. The single file method of merging the PDF files isn’t the quickest one, but it will allow you to select only the documents you need from a multitude of folders.
- Click «Add File» and locate one file that you want to be merged (you will only be able to select a single file).
- Click «Add File» again and select the next file you want to be merged.
- Continue until you’ve selected all the files to be merged.
- If you need to, take a moment to rearrange the files by dragging and dropping them into place.
- Click «Save Merged».
- Choose a folder to save your merged file to and give it a name.
- Click «Save» and you’re done!
Folder Method
The folder method is, by far, the quickest and easiest way to merge several PDF files into one. If you haven’t already, place all the files to be merged into a single folder on your computer. You’re going to take the entire folder and upload it to Merge PDF with a single click!
- Click «Add Folder» and select the folder containing the PDF files you want to be merged.
- If there are some files you wish not to merge, you can click on the «x» to delete them from the list, or just remove the checkmark if you want to keep the file in the list, but not merge it.
- If you need to, take a moment to rearrange the files by dragging and dropping them into place.
- Click «Save Merged».
- Choose a save folder and name your merged file.
- Click «Save» and you’re done!
At this point, you’ll have a perfectly merged multi-page PDF file.
Split PDF
Take a multiple page PDF file and separate it into smaller chunks, or even individual pages. Here’s how:
Splitting a multiple page PDF is as simple as deciding where to insert your divisions. The great thing about Split PDF is that you can choose to split all the pages into files of their own, or you can pull out a specific range of pages, even if they aren’t in sequence.
- Click «Open File» and locate the PDF you wish to split on your computer.
- Click «New Split Section» and identify what page or pages you wish to separate from the document (see more about this below).
- Click «Save Split» and select a folder to save your separated files to.
You can use split variation elements like dashes and commas to extract specific pages.
For example, if you have a 10-page document…
and you wish to keep only page 4, enter «4» into the field:
and you wish to keep pages 2 to 8, enter «2-8» into the field:
and you wish to keep pages 1 to 5 and page 8, enter «1-5,8» into the field:
If your document is 163 pages and you’ve already created a split for pages 1 to 10, you can use the «Add all remaining pages» option to create another split range for the remaining pages in your document. This will extract the remaining pages into a file of their own.
If you want the document split every # of pages (for example – every 3 pages), go to the «Repeating Section» tab and enter the number of pages you want to repeat.
If you are trying to reduce the size of the document by splitting the pages, you can identify the maximum file size and the program will split your document into documents that won’t exceed that size. This is especially helpful when you need to email your files and you are restricted by a size limit.
If you’re not yet convinced that Merge PDF and Split PDF are the perfect tools for the job, we invite you to download the free trial versions and try for yourself!
